This is all about the organization that aims to transform the Illinois Democratic Party from within. PDI also exists to act as a bridging organization between Progressive groups throughout Illinois. It's time for a cohesive Progressive movement, and we intend to facilitate exactly that.

Illinois ratepayers could soon be forced to foot the bill for a new, three
billion dollar coal-to-natural-gas plant in Chicago's southeast side.

*New York based Leucadia National Corporation wants to use costly and dirty
technology to turn coal into synthetic natural gas, which consumers would
then be forced to purchase at above-market rates.*

The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) has the power to protect Illinois
consumers by rejecting Leucadia's outrageous plan — and it is taking public
comments for the next few days before its likely decision on Tuesday.

While Leucadia's Orwellian marketing materials refer to the proposed coal
gasification plant as a "clean energy project,"1 *the reality is that coal
gasification is an energy-intensive process with greenhouse gas emissions
more than twice as high as traditional, dirty coal plants.* This plant
would also use more than 10 million gallons of water from the Calumet River
each day, while returning just two million gallons.2

*Under the plan ICC is considering, Illinois residents would be forced to
pick up the tab for this dirty coal project, potentially paying higher
rates for decades.*

Understandably, many Southeast Chicago residents don't want the dirty
Leucadia coal plant in their neighborhood,3 and they've been holding
rallies and protests in opposition.4

Over the next few days, ratepayers throughout Illinois need to make sure
the Illinois Commerce Commission knows that Illinois residents don't want
to pay for Leucadia's dirty new coal gasification plant.

With Chicago's Fisk and Crawford coal plants now scheduled to be retired
later this year,5 Illinois has made real progress recently in the fight
against dirty sources of energy. Allowing the dirty Leucadia coal
gasification plant to be constructed at the expense of ratepayers would be
a huge step in the wrong direction.